TORONTO — Taylor Leier distinctly remembers the bad feeling of being star-struck on the ice last year.

Even though the winger had a handful of NHL games under his belt, he felt like a first-timer one shift on the penalty kill.

“It was like five superstars that I grew up watching,” he said. “I got a little overwhelmed with that, but this year I haven’t had any of those moments.”

Leier, now in his fourth pro season, is on a Flyers fourth line with Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl. It’s a trio coach Dave Hakstol has relied on not just for energy, but for offense.

Heading into Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, they represented three of the top four players on the team in terms of shot attempts at 5-on-5. Then consider that all three are part of the Flyers’ penalty killing team and have seven of the team’s 18 shorthanded shots on goal.

“That’s something that’s a bonus to have on any team,” Leier said. “We try to pride ourselves on that. We’re confident that we can produce offensively and I know we haven’t scored as much as we’d like, but I think we still produce a lot of energy, a lot of chances for our team. Our top guys have played so well, it would be nice to give them some help with secondary scoring every now and then. That’s our main focus, while keeping sound defensively too.”

Leier recently missed two games with what is believed to have been a head injury. Hakstol confirmed that the second game missed was a coach’s decision and not based on Leier’s health.

Don’t think he’ll altering that line too often. After all, it’s been one of the biggest improvements over last year’s team with a fourth line of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Chris VandeVelde and a rotating cast of right wingers.

“The guys last year would have the puck in that end and that’s a big part of the game. But I think this year they’re a little more dangerous offensively and that’s a good thing,” general manager Ron Hextall said. “Having a couple of young, hungry players on the fourth line is a good thing. They’re hungry. They get out there, they’re happy to play 10 minutes. They’re happy to go out there and give us what they’ve got.”

Part of why it works is that Laughton and Leier have great chemistry after playing together in the minors. That’s not always something that translates to the next level, but for this duo it has.

It almost looked like Laughton was a lost cause as an NHLer with how inconsistent his play was at that level, but last year was all about refining his game to be a checking-line center and the payoff is being seen by both the player and the team now.

“You’re definitely nervous the first couple games after spending a year in the American League,” he said. “I felt (good) from the start. I felt powerful, felt strong and working down low and off corners and working off guys, I think that’s got to be a big part of our game. I felt it from the start, but have to keep it going. It’s still early in the year. You’ve got to be consistent in this league and be relied upon. They’ve got to know what they’re getting out of you every night.”

Even when they don’t score they can be effective. Last year’s fourth line saw very little tangible production, but Hextall praised their ability to cycle the puck for a shift and gain the territory so that the top line could take the next shift and score.

That invisible assist is something Laughton, Leier and Raffl are trying to do also.

“It’s a good feeling when you can try to change the momentum around if the game’s not going well,” Laughton said. “You just get it deep and Raf’s so good on the forecheck, Leiersey’s got a good stick creating turnovers. Just doing it that way where you’re in the offensive zone and you can create momentum. I think that’s a big part of a game is momentum swings in a game.”

Loose Pucks

No, the Flyers are not thinking about bringing back Mark Streit. The defenseman, who recently agreed to terminate his contract with the Montreal Canadiens when they waived him and wanted to send him to the minors, was seen on the Flyers’ practice ice Friday. He still has a place in Philadelphia and asked the team if he could get some ice time while he ponders his hockey future.

Speaking of ex-Flyers, James van Riemsdyk was not in the lineup for the Maple Leafs Saturday night. The winger missed the game with a leg injury after getting tangled up with Los Angeles forward Trevor Lewis last Sunday.

The Flyers’ growth is not lost north of the boarder. Toronto coach Mike Babcock was asked about what the team in Philly is building. The Flyers have 10 players on their roster they drafted themselves, seven of them first-round selections.

“I think Hexy’s doing a real good job there,” Babcock said. “When you go through their minor-league program with the drafts, they’ve got good players coming. Their D is really coming and they had good players already. They’re a good hockey club.”